Auburn University

Critical Limit Self Assessment

Remember when you set a critical limit you are creating a regulation under which
you will have to operate. If you make it more restrictive than regulatory limits, you
will be held to your limit not the regulatory limit.

When you created your critical limits did you:

1. Use a specific number not a range. For example for a temperature the might
be 45 degrees F. for the critical limit. The critical limit should not be a range
such as 45-50 degrees F.

2. Be specific how the limit is measured. For example, in setting a limit for
carcass chill temperature are you using a direct or indirect method. Will you
use water temperature (an indirect method) or carcass temperature (direct
method). If you do use an indirect measurement you will have to conduct a
validation test showing for example that if the carcass was in the water at X
degrees for Y amount of time it would reach the critical limit. You don’t have
to do the study if you do a direct measurement. However, if you do a direct
measure be sure to be specific. For example, the temperature in the deep
breast muscle will be X degrees F. If you don’t tell where the temperature is
measured it could be monitored at the wrong location and may give an
inaccurate reading. For example a cook temperature measurement in a leg
muscle would be different from a cook temperature measurement in the
deep breast muscle of the carcass.